Bag for infusing material



Dec. 12, 1944. HQWARD 2,364,903

BAG FOR INFUSING MATERIAL Filed Aug. 16 1941 INVENTOR l ATTORNEYPatented Dee.12,1944

BAG FOR INFUSING MATERIAL Stanley R. Howard, Milton. Masa. asslgnor toPneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass, a corporation ofMassachusetts Application August 16, 1941, Serial No. 467,164

1 Claim. (Cl. 99--77.1)

This invention relates to a tea or coffee bag and to a method of makingthe same.

One object of the invention is to provide a novel tea or coffee bag ofnovel construction adapted to be produced in a novel and economicalmanner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved bagof the character described having a handle secured thereto in a simple,practical and economical manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and practicalmethod of making the present improved tea or coffee bag.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafterappear, the invention consists in the package and in the method ofmaking the same hereinafter described and particularly defined in theclaims at the end of this specification.

In the drawing, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are perspective views illustratingdifferent forms of strips adapted to be embodied in the present packageto form a handle therefor; Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank of bagforming material from which the present bag may be constructed; Fig. 5is a front elevation with portions braken away of a completed bagembodying the present invention; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view takenon the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating astep in the method of forming a modified form of the present bag; Fig. 8is a perspective view of the bag shown in Fig. 7 after completion; Fig.9 is a plan view of a blank of bag forming material from which anothermodification of the present invention may be constructed; and Fig. 10 isa front elevation of a completed bag formed from the blank shown in Fig.9.

In general, the present invention contemplates the production of acontainer for tea or coffee formed by folding a rectangular blank of bagforming material to form two half sections and joining the edgesthereof, preferably by a heat sealing operation, after a quantity of thecom modity has been deposited in the bag. The bag forming materialpreferably comprises a suitable.

grade of paper of porous structure so as to permit extraction of the teaor coffee therethrough. In accordance with one feature of the presentinvention, a handle comprising a flexible mem- Fber such as a string isattached to the bag by interposing a portion of the flexible handlebetween the edges of the bag section prior to sealing thereof andthereafter closing and sealing the edges to close the bag and to attachthe flexible handle thereto. In one embodiment of the invention asherein illustrated, the handle is preferably provided with a coating ofthermolastic adhesive and the handle thus prepared is interposed betweenthe free edges of the .bag which may be free of adhesive and then thestructure may be heat sealed to close the edges of the bag and to sealthe handle therebetween. In practice, a tag may be provided on theextended end of the string which may be attached thereto by heat sealingor otherwise.

The invention also contemplates a novel method of making a bag andparticularly of closing the top of a bag which comprises theinterposition of a thermoplastic strip between the top edges of the bagand thereafter heat sealing such edges by the application of heat andpressure to render the adhesive plastic and to adhesively secure the topedges together.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 4 and 5, oneembodiment of the invention as therein illustrated may comprise arectangular blank ill of bag forming material preferably a paper webprovided with bands I2, i l of thermoplastic adhesive along thelongitudinal edges thereof. In the process of making the bag, therectangular blank is folded along a medial line l6 to form two halfsections and to present the adhesive coated side edges H, H f the bagtogether, whereupon the side edges are heat sealed and a quantity of thetea or coffee is deposited within the bag through the open top thereof.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the top edgesof the bag are free from adhesive, and provision is made for sealing thetop edges of the bag by interposing therebetween a handle l8 providedwith a. coating of thermoplastic adhesive. The handle may take variousforms as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and may comprise an ordinarypiece of twine 20 provided with a coating of heat sealing adhesive 22 ormay comprise a flat band or ribbon M of paper or other suitable materialprovided with a similar coating 22 of thermoplastic adhesive. Theportion of the handle interposed between the top edges of the bag isthereafter subjected to heat and pressure to render the coating on thehandle adhesive thus forming a bond between the top edges of the bag andsealing the attached portion of the handle therebetween. The extendedportion of the handle, as herein. shown, is preferably provided with atag 24 which may be heat sealed or otherwise attached thereto.

Referring now to Figs. 3, 7 and 8, a. modified form of the presentinvention may comprise a rectangular blank, similar to that shown inFig. 4, which is folded and heat sealed along its side edges 26, 28leaving the adhesive free top edges 3Il-of the bag open, as illustratedin Fig. 7. After a charge of material has been deposited in the bagthrough the open top thereof, a heat sealing strip 32, see Fig. 3,formed entirely of thermo-plastic material, is interposed between thetop edges and heat sealed thereb'etween to provide a firm bond 34between the top edges of the bag, as illustrated in Fig. 8.

The above described embodiment of the invention lends itselfparticularly to the automatic production of the bags wherein the bagsareformed in a continuous strip by folding an elongated web of the bagforming material longitudinally and thereafter the strip is sealed atspaced transverse portions to form bag sections having a closed bottomand open at the top. As the strip of bag sections is continuouslyadvanced, th eeindividual bag sections are provided with a charge of thecommodity being packaged t ough the open top thereof. The bag forming marial is preferably unwound from a roll thereof, and in the embodiment ofthe invention herein contemplated, the thermo-plastic strip 32 maylikewise be provided in roll form andimwound therefrom to present thestring betwee the open to? edges of the strip of connected bag sectionsas it is being advanced. After the commodity has been deposited into thebag sections, the tops of the bags may be heat sealed, whereupon the bagsections may be severed from the strip to form individual filled bags.

It will be apparent that a similar process of forming the bags in acontinuous strip may embody a thermo-plastically coated string as shownin Fig. 1 to provide a package having a. top closure comprising asection 20 of string sealed between the top edges of the bag by theapplication of heat and pressure to render the coating 22 thereonadhesive.

Another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10,may comprise a rectangular blank 40 of bag forming material providedwith bands of thermo-plastic adhesive 42 along all four edges. on themedial line H and sealed along the side edges 48, 48, leaving the topedges open. A quantity of the commodity being packaged is thenintroduced into the bag, and a handle 52 comprising either a plain,uncoated string or a thermoplastically coated string is interposedbetween the open top edges 50 of the bag. Upon the application of heatand pressure, the portion of the handle 52 interposed between the topedges 5|! is firmly attached to the bag and the top edges of the bag aresealed. The extended portion of the string may be provided with a tag 64as illustrated in Fig. 10.

As a modified form of the above described embodiment of the invention, ahandle comprising a plain uncoated piece of twine 56, as illustrated indotted lines in Fig. 10, may be interposed between the edges of thethermo-plastically sealed bag at one corner thereof, as shown, so as tointerlock one endrof the handle between the heat sealed top edges. Theother end of the handle may likewise be provided with a tag 54.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been hereinillustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention maybe embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: I

As a new article of manufacture. a bag of thin porous paper adapted toreceive an infusing material therewithin. said bag having the side edgesthereof secured together, and means providing a seal-for the top of saidbag including a handle comprising a length of fibrous material coatedthroughout the length thereof with thermoplastic material, said handleof fibrous material including a portion extending across the mouth ofsaid bag between the top edges thereof with said coating, when the topof said bag is in a sealed condition, serving to bond said top edges tosaid handle and to bond said edges together at least above said handle.

STANLEY R. HOWARD.

In making the bag, the blank is folded-

